In 2012, when we interviewed Joi Marshall, one of the founding members of the ’90’s R&B group Jade, we had no idea that the ladies would be reuniting. After albums certified platinum and gold and the success of their singles like “Don’t Walk Away”, “One Woman” and “5 4 3 2 Yo Time Is Up,” Joi let us know that there was so much financial drama surrounding their career that they ultimately decided to take a break from the music industry.
That break ended up lasting 20 years because each of the three ladies, Joi, Tonya Kelly and Di Reed, had moved on and were living their lives. Joi told us she went on to open her own business and started singing gospel music and Di began singing background for Rod Stewart.
But in a recent interview with You Know I Got Soul.com, the ladies revealed that they’re back at it, this time with a new member.
Check out some of the highlights from the interview below and then take a listen to their new single, “Baby Luv” and tell us what you think.
Why did you guys decide to make a comeback?
Joi: Our fans actually. We have been getting walk ups, drive-byes, e-mails, and social media messages forever asking us to come back. We just made the decision that we should. Even though we have busy lives and we’re doing other things now, we can still comeback and now would be a good time because so many other groups are making their resurgence. So we feel we’ll just continue our journey and come back out with some new music.
Tell us about this new member?
Joi: Yes, Myracle is her name. Di is touring with Rod Stewart and she wanted to stay on that journey. So we thought we’d come out and get a fabulous and beautiful singer, and she was available. I met her through a producer friend of ours, Def Jeff, and she fit right in. We worked it out.
Since it’s been so long, have you made an effort to sound more current?
Tonya: No we’re stuck in the past fool! *Laughs* No we’re sticking to what we do and staying relevant and keeping the brand current. We’re not afraid to jump in that lane of what’s current because we’re not locked in a cage somewhere, the new stuff is attractive, we’re just bringing our Jade flavor to it.
Do you think it will be tough reintroducing yourself to fans?
Joi: Well I think whether you’re a current band or you’re new coming off of The Voice or whatever the new trend is to find talent, it’s rough out there. It’s difficult because there’s so much traffic and so much going on. It will be a journey to get people to remember Jade, but social media has been a creative artists friend. I don’t think it will be too tough. If it is, we’re ready for it, we’re ready to show up and show out and remind people that there’s talent out there and we’re part of that breed of artist that has substance beyond the videos. We look forward to it no matter what
What were you doing during the break?
Tonya: After the group disbanded, I worked on a movie soundtrack for Disney and for Trimark Pictures and a couple of big movies that came out that I had opportunities to work as the soundtrack. Then I ventured into interior architecture and design and I’ve been designing multimillion dollar estates and homes from the construction end to the decorating end. The home that Michael Jackson passed away in, I designed that home with the developer. I’ve worked with Toni Braxton. I’ve worked on Sylvester Stallone’s new home in Los Angeles. I’ve been blessed. That’s why I stay in touch with Joi, because she’s always been very on point with the music business, so when I stepped away completely and nurtured my design skills, I’ve always lived through Joi while she recorded her debut solo CD.
You can find out what Joi was doing in our exclusive, “Where You Been” interview.
You can read the rest of the interview, including how the group got discovered, what caused them to break up in the first place and more over at You Know I Got Soul.com.
Check out their new single, “Baby Luv” on the next page.
